Art Anderson, your DentalSuccess Tipster, lets you know:
What's on the Menu?
One key to gaining case acceptance is to have patients understand their problems before you provide solutions. This reminder comes from Dr. John C. Kois who has a private practice limited to Prosthodontics in Tacoma, Washington. That seems rather obvious but many times when patients come to the dental office for non-emergency reasons they don’t really know what they want in terms of solutions to their problems. In some ways patients may be like restaurant customers. They know they want a solution to their hunger but aren’t sure whether they want solve it with a steak, seafood, or a plate of spaghetti and meatballs.
It isn’t customary to hand patients a menu, because it is only after a complete examination that total needs are in evidence. Then the dentist sometimes has difficulty helping the patient to understand what the options are–what’s on the menu.
When explaining the dental menu, Professor Alan M. Dershowitz of the Harvard Law School, suggests avoiding three E’s. They are (1) ego – the desire to be right at any cost; (2) eloquence - using esoteric language containing words that are not in the patient’s vocabulary; (3) emotional involvement that puts making the “sale” more important than what’s best for the patient.
To gain acceptance it is important to make patients aware that the philosophy of the practice is to look at long-term dental health. Sensitivity to the patient’s financial capabilities is also important.
The proper strategy is to ask permission to tell the patient about all of the problems that are discovered and the cost of remedying them. The patient needs to know the nature of the ailment, if there is one, or the potential change in appearance or health that will result from the treatment. It is also important for the patient to know the long-term cost of not having it done. When all of these factors are known, it is then time to invite the patient to take part in the solution.
